LDSPMA

Empowering Latter-day Saints to spread light and truth by connecting them at the intersection of faith, creativity, and professional skill

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Member Spotlight: Kristen Reber!

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Our Member Spotlight today is Kristen Reber from Saratoga Springs, Utah.

What are the books/products you’ve created?

Book (paperback, e-book, or audio): Early Homecoming: A Resource for Early Returned Missionaries, their Church Leaders, and Family

Podcast: Early Homecoming: Insights from Missionaries who Returned Early

Tell us about your work!

The book Early Homecoming is the product of  seven years of thought and casual research, and then six intense months of interviewing, in-depth research, writing, and editing after the book suddenly landed a publishing contract. It is for anyone who came home for any reason, as well as for parents, church leaders, and friends of early returned missionaries. It is filled with academic and spiritual research, anecdotes from myself and other early-returned missionaries, and advice for coping with the sudden loss of a mission either right after losing it or if one is still grieving the loss years later.

The podcast Early Homecoming is a more casual work where I interview those who come home early for any reason, as well as parents and church leaders. I ask them to tell me their story, including the reason they (or their missionary/missionaries) came home, how they coped initially (or are coping so far), and how they have found peace and healing.

What inspired you to become a writer/creative in media?

I have always enjoyed literature. My mom told me that even when I was a baby, she and I “got a lot of good book time in.” I’ve been writing fiction stories for as long as I can remember, but my first book is actually nonfiction, inspired by my own journey of coming home early from a Latter-day Saint mission. My podcast was created as an additional resource for those who come home early and are either unaware of my book or don’t want to/don’t have time to read.

What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?

My audience. Everyone has a unique story. I simply love to watch and listen to people.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

By far it’s been the opportunity to talk to those who have read my book or listen to my podcast and hear how much it has helped them. I am so honored to be part of their healing journey.

What would you like others to know about you or your creative process?

I’m a rather thorough person, but I also know when to hold back. When you read something that I write, you can expect it to be completely thought out. I like to write in a colloquial style, but that doesn’t mean I skimp on the details. When you listen to my podcast, it is a more relaxed atmosphere, but the questions I ask my guests have been either thought out beforehand or are the result of careful listening. I want my audience to feel uplifted and enlightened at the end of a chapter or episode.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative work?

The best advice I’ve ever been given is to be myself. I don’t need to try to be anyone else. While it is important to learn from others and study their work to improve my own craft, when it comes time to create I need to channel my own voice and my own thoughts. People want to hear what I have to say. They don’t want to hear what others are already saying.

What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

I have found that when I have done my research before writing or creating a podcast, the book or podcast pretty much create themselves. So, the advice I would give is to not underestimate the value of spending a decent amount of time researching and learning before diving into creating.

Do you have a website?

kristenreber.com

Where can we find you on social media?

Facebook: Early Homecoming page

Instagram: @author_kristenreber

LinkedIn: Kristen Reber

Podcast: Early Homecoming Podcast

Member Spotlight: Devan Jensen!

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Our member spotlight this week is Devan Jensen of Orem, Utah. He is the current President of the Latter-day Saint Publishing and Media Association.

What are the books/products you’ve created?

As an author, I have written about fifty articles on people and topics in church history. These include Philo Dibble, C. C. A. Christensen, Shoshone history, and the Utah War. In addition, I also wrote God’s Greatest Gifts: 10 Reasons to Rejoice. I compiled Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People, Poems That Lift the Soul, Gradguide, and Latter-day Saint Essentials. I’m working with Rose Ram to write a book called Saints of Micronesia. (I served as a missionary in Micronesia.)

As an editor at the BYU Religious Studies Center, I have edited thousands of articles and chapters. I also manage social media for BYU Religious Education, BYU Religious Studies Center, Church History News, Religious Educator, and Pohnpei Church History.

What inspired you to become a writer/editor?

My parents and elementary school librarians hooked me on reading and inspired me to become a writer. Only later did I realize that editing could become a career.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

A repeated highlight has been traveling with friends to research or to present papers, especially on Pacific history. My favorite places to travel have included New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti, Guam, Chuuk, Taiwan, and Washington, DC.

Another real highlight is working with Pacific scholars to write a history of Micronesia that will go in the Yigo Guam Temple.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given in your creative work?

A grab bag of many years of advice:

  • Find the empty spot on the shelf and write for that audience.
  • Ask good research questions.
  • Pluck the low-hanging fruit of the internet and libraries. Then visit archives to dig into original research.
  • Network with other scholars and refine your work through informal peer review and then formal peer review.
What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Pay the price of learning to become an expert in your field.

What keeps you inspired in your daily creative work?

Traveling with friends to research or present papers is a huge motivating factor. I hope to travel to New York in 2021 to present at the Mormon History Association conference. I would like to visit the Yigo Guam Temple dedication.

What would you like others to know about you?

Like so many of you, I have a voracious appetite for learning, and for challenging my preexisting assumptions. My Facebook page shares my aspirations: As a writer and editor, I’m shaping a more just and sustainable community, nation, and world.

My wife, Patty, and I live in Orem, Utah. We have four children and an adorable granddaughter. I like to ride my electric bike all over Utah Valley. I perform magic tricks and like to sing and play the piano and ukulele.

Tell us about your work!

I enjoy helping authors to publish and helping promote their work. I have more than thirty years of experience working with books, journals, magazines, newsletters, websites, and social media. I’m volunteering as the president of the Latter-day Saint Publishing and Media Association (LDSPMA), which I helped to found.

I was hired in 2001 at the BYU Religious Studies Center. Since then I have led talented teams to edit about 250 books or book-length projects, which has garnered many awards.

I have been an adjunct instructor of business writing, editing, and religion for BYU and Utah Valley University. Also, I have been an editor for the Ensign magazine, Church Publishing Services Department, and Deseret Book Company. I have presented at BYU Education Week, Latter-day Saint Publishing and Media Association, Mormon History Association Conference, Sons of Utah Pioneers, Pacific History Association, and Utah State History Conference. As a National Merit Scholar, I received my BA (cum laude) and MA degrees in English from BYU.

Do you have a website?

BYU Religious Studies Center, my personal blog and the Pohnpei Church History Blog.

Where can we find you on social media?